by Lori King
Rafe Whetstone was built almost identically to his brother, but he kept his hair much shorter. It parted in the middle and was still long enough to run fingers through. He did so seemingly unintentionally, as he scanned the bar around him. His blond locks were a shade darker, more of a muted gold color, and standing there together they again reminded her of Vikings bent on pillaging and plundering.
She reminded herself that one of them was interested in plundering her, but quickly shook off the crazy notion. She was a kindergarten teacher, and she had given up on one-night stands. They only brought heartache, guilt, and shame. And a relationship was out of the question.
Rafe seemed to be older than Ryley, and if the serious look on his face was an indication he was probably less fun. It figured that he was the one that asked her out. The carefree Ryley would be more likely to want a purely sexual relationship with no strings attached, or at least she assumed so.
Ryley continued to laugh and joke with an equally good-looking man in a cowboy hat that stood close to him. She vaguely remembered seeing the cowboy on stage the last time they had come here for drinks and dancing. The two men seemed to be good friends as they casually chatted. Her gaze wandered away from Ryley, back toward Rafe without meaning to.
Her violet eyes met his sky blue ones, and a look of shock and hunger flashed in his. His nostrils did that sexy flaring thing again, and her stomach bottomed out. Damn it, now he’d spotted her! The slow, predatory smile that crept over his beautiful face caused goose bumps to rise on her arms. He reached an arm out to grab for Ryley, and once he had his brother’s attention he pointed in her direction.
Shandi let her gaze drop, afraid that they would see the lust burning in them. There was no doubt that they would soon be headed her direction. She could feel their attention on her all the way to her bones. Trying to ignore the instinct to turn her head and watch them, she looked back to her friends. Realizing that Lily and Jennifer were still talking, she struggled to catch up to their conversation.
“Big feet mean big—” Jennifer was saying, but Lily interrupted her with a laugh.
“That’s a load of crap. My last boyfriend wore a size fourteen shoe, but his dick was pinky sized. I don’t buy into that old story at all,” Lily snorted.
“Well, you remember Dale? That guy I took home on our last girls’ night out? He made a believer out of me, and I for one will pay attention to all of the clues before selecting another bedmate,” Jennifer said with a big cocky grin. Shandi couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her friend’s comfort with her own sexuality.
Unable to bite back her response, she smarted off, “Shoe size has nothing to do with penis size. If it did there wouldn’t be a single man with a shoe size over a 12 left in the world.”
It wasn’t until both of her friends started to snicker that she realized she had spoken fairly loudly. There were several other patrons of the bar currently chuckling at her bold statement. One particularly deep rumble of mirth came from her right. The direction of the two sexy Viking Firemen she was trying to ignore.
She whipped her head around to find herself face-to-face with the two men who had been starring in her sexual fantasies for the day. They were both smiling like dogs stalking the mailman, and she swallowed hard before turning back to stare into the bottom of her mug of beer.
“Excuse us, ladies, but it’s not every day that we get to listen in on beautiful women discussing their preferred male attributes, so we were paying close attention. Hello again, Shandi.” Ryley spoke with a smile gracing his lips. Shandi’s complete attention went to his full, luscious lips. She wanted to grab him and pull him down against her so that she could taste them herself. She shook her head, realizing what he had said, and blushed even harder.
“Hello again. And it was actually a private conversation,” she snapped in an irritated voice. What is wrong with me? she thought to herself. Stop being such a bitch, and invite them to sit down.
“Our apologies for interrupting. You look like you are all having a good time, and we were just hoping to join you,” Ryley said with a practiced wink in her friends’ direction.
“Of course we always welcome sexy men to join us,” Lily said flirtatiously, batting her eyes at Ryley. Shandi wanted to rip Lily’s false eyelashes from her eyes and feed them to her. She struggled to tamp down her jealousy.
Before she had time to come up with a witty response, Ryley had pulled a chair over between Jen and Shandi and was straddling it. He was close enough that his knee pressed against her upper thigh. Her brain went slightly misty at the close contact, but then it went downright cloudy when Rafe pulled up a chair on her other side, and rested his large arm on the back of Shandi’s chair, so that it was pressed against her shoulder blades.
She took a deep breath, only to feel almost dizzy with desire. They smelled amazing. Like sunshine, and new grass. She couldn’t remember the last time that she smelled something so appealing…oh wait, that’s right, it was earlier this afternoon in her classroom. She had to close her eyes to get her equilibrium back before she spoke.
“Sure, why not. Please, join us,” she said sarcastically with a pointed look at Jennifer, who looked confused and irritated with her snarky attitude.
“Thank you. I’m Ryley Whetstone, and this is my brother Rafe,” Ryley said, holding his hand out to Jen and then Lily.
“Lovely to meet you, handsome. I’m Lily, and this is Jen. How is it that you know our Shandi?” Lily had her sex-kitten smile plastered on her gorgeous face, and Shandi couldn’t shake off the second wave of jealousy that hit her.
There was no excuse or explanation for it, but the green-eyed monster inside of Shandi wanted to reach out and smack the seductive smile right off of her best friend’s face. It wasn’t like Ryley was her possession, or even her man for that matter. She had no reason to feel anything toward him, but she sure as hell couldn’t watch him screw her best friend either.
“We met at the school today,” Rafe explained. All the while he watched Shandi as she fidgeted in her seat.
“The firemen?” Jen asked excitedly, and both men nodded. “Damn, I wish I had seen you. I would have skipped the last hour of the day to come and watch your presentation. Do you think you could come back and do another for my class?”
Jen leaned forward in her seat and pressed her breast against Ryley’s arm encouragingly, but Shandi was pleased to see him pull away from her.
Damn it, Shandi, stop it, she scolded herself in her head. Jen and Lily were both single and ready to party, so what was the big deal? If they wanted Rafe and Ryley, and could distract them from asking her out again, then that was all the better. Now if she could just figure out why that thought had her seeing a haze of red anger.
“Just call the firehouse and schedule with the commander. We don’t really get to pick which ones we do, but you can make a request,” Rafe explained, and then he turned back to Shandi. “I am really glad we got to see you again, Shandi.”
She tried to return his smile politely, but her face felt strange. In fact her whole body felt all tingly and hot. Specifically where Rafe’s arm was draped over the back of her chair, rubbing erotically against her back, and where Ryley’s thigh butted up against hers. She nearly moaned out loud when Rafe’s fingers danced over the bare skin of her shoulder.
Unable to catch her breath, she stood abruptly. “I’m going to go powder my nose. Please excuse me.”
Grabbing her purse, she headed across the bar to the bathrooms. There were couples dancing everywhere, and the music seemed extraordinarily loud to her. She wasn’t able to focus her thoughts, but she could feel the moisture dripping from her pussy into her panties. Damn them for turning me on. She snickered out loud at the thought. They probably didn’t even know what effect they were having on her.
She pushed her way through the door into the small bathroom and sat on the lid of the commode. Resting her head in her hands, she willed the uncontrollable feelings away. She hated not being able to contro
l her own responses.
Why did I even agree to go out tonight? she thought to herself. She knew the answer. Lily was on the hunt for a new play toy, and wanted to test out a cowboy this time. Rustler’s seemed like the perfect place to find one. Shandi had only been there once before, and after stumbling into the Whetstone brothers it wasn’t likely that she would ever come back.
She was always Lily’s wingwoman, because men weren’t generally attracted to the short, plump type, and even if they were interested they were quickly turned off by her medical history. She couldn’t blame them. What guy wanted to be with a woman who was really only half a woman, unable to bear children for her husband? Lily and Jen both felt comfortable taking portly little Shandi along in their search for the perfect bedmate, and Shandi never said no.
Forcing the self-destructive thoughts out of her head, she took a deep breath, and left the stall to stand before the mirror. In the dim lighting of the bar bathroom she could see the sparkle had left her violet-colored eyes. Her own negativity had dampened the fire that had filled her, but there was still a pink flush on her cheeks. Her sleeveless, low-cut top showed that the flush went all the way down her throat to her ample chest, and she tugged at the sleeveless V-neck blouse to hide a smidgeon more cleavage. She ran her hands over her denim skirt, smoothing away imaginary wrinkles, and glanced down at her tiny feet encased in strappy sandals. Immediately she wished she had worn something sexier, such as the four inch stilettos in her closet. Maybe then she wouldn’t feel so lackluster next to Jen and Lily.
Pulling her powder from her purse, she did her best to cover the pink blush as well as freshen herself before she left the bathroom. As she stepped into the hallway that led back to the bathrooms in the back of the bar, she felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle. One of them was here with her. She turned slowly around until she was face to face with Ryley’s heated cerulean gaze.
“Ryley? Holy crap you startled me! Are you following me now?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light and playful and failing miserably.
“Would I sound like a stalker if I said yes?” he asked. His eyes never left hers, but he took a step closer to her, invading her personal space and sending the blood pounding into her brain. If she were thinking clearly, she would pull away from him and run the other way, but instead she just stood there enjoying the feeling of his large, masculine body sheltering her from view of the other patrons in the bar.
“Maybe a little bit,” she admitted. Her voice sounded breathless, and husky.
“You seem to be avoiding me,” he said softly, and his fingers grazed her bare shoulder, running up and down its length until goose bumps popped up all over her skin.
“No shit, Sherlock,” she mumbled, and then, realizing what she had said as he chuckled, she blushed and looked away. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but…umm…did you need something?”
“We could start with a kiss, and I’ll let you know what else I need after that,” he said seductively, and she trembled as his arm went around her waist, pulling her closer. Her hands went up to his broad chest, but instead of pushing him away she dug her fingers into the tight muscles there.
“I…I…I told Rafe that I’m not dating anyone right now,” she said, but her thoughts were nearly incoherent, and when his smile widened she reworded her statement. “I mean I don’t want to date anyone right now! Did your brother tell you he hit on me earlier? I mean, I wouldn’t want him to be upset if he found us kissing.”
Ryley chuckled and bent his head forward until his forehead met hers. “He told me, and trust me, baby girl, he won’t mind. And I know what you said, but your body is saying something else. So let’s see which one wins this battle.”
With that he leaned down and slid his lips over hers in an angel-soft kiss that had her breasts tightening and her pussy softening. She whimpered as he captured her bottom lip between his teeth for a brief second, and then she let herself go. She rose up on tiptoe and sunk her fingers into his blond hair, so that she could pull him down to her. The soft locks felt better than she imagined, and she whimpered against his mouth, as she kissed him back with every ounce of the desire that he had built in her belly.
Within a breath he took over control of the kiss, and she felt the solid surface of a wall at her back. His hands cupped her round ass and lifted her off of her toes, so that she was riding one of his denim covered thighs. He completely dominated her senses, and his taste left her brain spinning. He was pure sin wrapped up in gorgeous man packaging.
His tongue stroked hers, urging her to respond to him, and her fingers dug into his scalp, trying to keep him where she wanted him. She writhed against him, fighting to get the friction her body needed to take her release.
The heat of his body against hers felt like a firestorm, and she found herself gasping for fresh oxygen but refusing to let go of the kiss even to breathe. His teeth nipped at her lips, and he tasted of beer and pure man.
Suddenly the sounds of laughter stabbed into her brain, and she remembered where she was. Jerking her head backward, she managed to smack it on the wall behind her, further dampening the heat inside of her.
“Take it easy, baby girl. Nobody can see us,” he rumbled in her ear, and she felt her body respond again to the sound of his voice. She opened her eyes to realize that he had somehow moved them around the corner into the employee hallway, so unless an employee happened by, no one knew they were there.
“Oh my God! I can’t believe I let that happen,” she muttered, clenching her eyes shut again, trying to block out the feelings of shame and embarrassment.
“Hey, I’m not that bad of a kisser, am I?” Ryley said, using his fingers to tip her chin back up to look at him. She shook her head vehemently and blushed.
“It’s not that. You were fantastic, I mean you are fantastic, I mean…shit. Maybe I should go back in the bathroom and retrieve my pride. Apparently I’m not myself tonight. I should probably just head home,” she said into his chest, refusing to maintain eye contact with him.
He chuckled and let her slide slowly down his body until she stood on her feet before he took a step backward. “Well, if you’ve been drinking, then you aren’t driving yourself home. Rafe and I will run you home.”
“No, no, I’m okay. I’ve only had one beer tonight, and half of it is still sitting out there on the table.” She tugged at her low-cut shirt, trying to regather her modesty, only to realize that it directed his focus right onto her breasts, which were currently spilling out the top. She groaned and dropped her hands.
“Well, then you can’t blame alcohol for the sparks between us. Like a firecracker under my hand, aren’t you?” he murmured, and she felt her body tighten with desire even more. “Don’t deny it.”
She shivered involuntarily, and shook her head again. ”I’m not trying to deny it, but it can’t happen again. It’s just too much for me right now.”
He froze, and she could tell he was processing her words, and revamping his plan of seduction. It was almost like she could see his brain churning with the information. Finally he sighed heavily.
“I promise I’ll back off, but will you come back out and at least dance with me? I want you to enjoy your meal with your girlfriends, and I would really like to spend more time with you.” His jaw clenched with restraint, and at that moment she honestly couldn’t hold back her admiration. Not too many of the men she knew would offer to keep their distance when a woman asked them without arguing a little.
She took a moment to think it through. What harm was there in dancing once with him? And she had already ordered her dinner, so it would be a shame to waste the food. He took another step backward, as if encouraging her unspoken decision, and she nodded. “I’ll stay, but please no more kissing.”
Ryley hesitated, watching her, searching her gaze for something. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and irritation flashed in his eyes. “I don’t force women. I’ve never had to, and I never will. If you don’t want me just say so.” Shand
i felt a fresh blush creep over her cheeks, and she dropped her eyes down to his chest, refusing to look at him. “That’s what I thought. I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on you yet, baby girl. Now that I’ve had a taste of you, I want more.” With that statement, he pressed a swift kiss to her shocked lips, and then took her hand. He tugged her back down the hallway without even giving her a chance to respond.
They entered the main part of the bar, and Shandi’s eyes instantly zeroed in on Rafe, who was watching them move back across the room. His eyes were sparkling with his own interest, but he also looked slightly pissed. Was he mad that Ryley was in the back with her? Was it really possible that both brothers were interested in her? What if they asked her to pick just one of them? She had to bite her own tongue to keep the laugh inside her chest at the thought.
As they reached the table, she noticed that Lily was nowhere in sight, but Jen was busy eating a cheeseburger and fries. Shandi’s own dinner of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich waited for her on the table.
“This looks great. Where did Lily run off to?” she said to Jen, glancing over to share her smile with Rafe, who still watched her carefully.
“She’s on the dance floor. Rafe was nice enough to introduce us to a few more of their friends,” Jen answered, as another man stepped over to the table carrying a pitcher of beer in his hand.
“Hi, I’m Owen, Rafe and Ryley’s cousin,” he said, holding his hand out to shake Shandi’s.
Owen was slightly taller than his cousins, and he was just as sexy. He was dressed in slacks and a button-down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There was a matching suit jacket hanging over the back of Jen’s chair, and he draped an arm around Jen’s back like he was meant to be there. His face looked like it had been sculpted out of granite, and his reddish-brown hair was cut in an elegant, clean-cut style. He had a diamond chip in his ear, and his copper-colored skin betrayed his Native American heritage even more than his prominent nose did. Strength and sophistication all wrapped up in expensive suiting, definitely Jen’s type.
